While the shrimp were grilling, Fang Jun had already made his way downstairs.
He arrived carrying several large bottles of drinks, with An Yuexin following closely behind.
“Old Mo, we’re here to spice things up!”
An Yuexin was considered a local—his mother’s surname was Lu, making him part of Lu Xiaohua’s clan.
Locals mostly hung out with other locals.
Even if some people didn’t know each other well, they’d at least met a few times or had some distant family ties.
So as soon as Fang Jun showed up, he went all out, warmly greeting everyone present.
Even if he didn’t know their names, he acted like they were close brothers.
He was basically a social butterfly with a bit of a wild streak.
Meanwhile, after exchanging greetings with Lu Xiaohua, An Yuexin moved over to stand beside Lin Mo.
“Lin Mo, sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
An Yuexin’s face showed a hint of embarrassment before he poured a cup of cola for Lin Mo.
“We’re all classmates. As long as everyone’s fine in the end, that’s what matters.”
By this time, Fang Jun had finished his round of socializing and came back, slinging an arm around An Yuexin’s shoulders.
“I’m telling you, just go ahead and bow to Lin Mo already.”
Lin Mo couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop messing around. Tell me about you and the girls from Class 15.”
Fang Jun laughed too and then pointed to a group of guys sitting opposite them.
“They’re all from Class 3.”
The guys looked a bit surprised—they knew Fang Jun was from Class 5, and An Yuexin was too.
Xie Yufei, who had been quietly grilling chicken wings nearby, perked up at the news.
When he realized the juicy gossip involved their own class, his interest shot through the roof.
“It’s someone from our class? Come on, spill it! Who is it?”
Fang Jun glanced at An Yuexin’s expression and quickly said, “This is still too early to tell. Let’s not ask too many questions or we might blow it.”
The eager onlookers weren’t happy to hear that.
“Hey, maybe we can help. Since she’s from our class, we probably know what she likes.”
Whether they meant well or just wanted some fun was unclear.
An Yuexin looked a bit torn.
He wanted to get some intel too, but with so many people around, if they talked too much, it might reach Mai Chuwen’s ears by tonight.
Still, he was curious.
Lin Mo spoke up, “Don’t overthink it. Take it step by step. Don’t let them throw off your plans or mess with your head.”
That calmed An Yuexin down quite a bit.
Xie Yufei also knew it wasn’t wise to push the topic further—everyone would just get uncomfortable—so he changed the subject.
“By the way, you mentioned dragging Lin Mo into this mess. What happened exactly?”
Xie Yufei was quite curious about this “brother-in-law.”
Whether or not Xie Yuling had a high opinion of herself, the “Ice Queen” reputation definitely made her hard to approach.
That much was clear.
Fang Jun glanced at An Yuexin again, and An Yuexin nodded in agreement.
“So here’s what happened...”
The group listened as they grilled food.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo was busy peeling the shells off black tiger prawns. With just a few quick cuts of his small knife, he pried open the tough shell to reveal the bright red, tender meat inside.
After all, black tiger prawns weren’t like regular shrimp; their shells were a bit tougher.
It’s not very convenient to grill the shrimp with the shells on, so the only option was to grill them first and then peel off the shells.
After that, a layer of honey and barbecue sauce was brushed on.
In Guangdong, it’s customary to use honey in barbecue.
The sweetness of honey isn’t overwhelming; it actually enhances the flavor.
If grilled just right, it can even form a crispy crust on the outside.
Applying the honey was the final step. Once the crispy crust had formed, Lin Mo handed the shrimp over to Xie Yuling.
“Here, give it a try.”
Xie Yuling had been sitting nearby, waiting patiently. Since there wasn’t enough space, she sat just a little behind and beside Lin Mo.
When Lin Mo offered her the grilled shrimp, her eyes curved into a smile, but with so many people around, she remained reserved and spoke sparingly.
“Thank you.”
She took the shrimp with both hands and began eating it in small bites.
“Take your time, there’s more.”
At that moment, Fang Jun was telling stories that had everyone’s attention, so no one noticed the small exchange between the two.
“You guys don’t know, back during military training, Lin Mo actually arm-wrestled and beat every instructor in the group. Even the chief instructor told him to consider enrolling in a military academy.”
“Seriously?!” someone chimed in.
“Hey, I’m not kidding. Lin Mo’s that impressive.”
Fang Jun was like Lin Mo’s biggest fan, enthusiastically bragging about him.
Even though it was all true, many people found it hard to believe.
Several students eagerly expressed their desire to arm-wrestle Lin Mo.
Lin Mo raised a shrimp skewer in response. “Wait until I finish grilling these.”
The two skewers of shrimp in Lin Mo’s hands were grilled to a perfect crisp on the outside. Once done, he handed them to Xie Yuling again.
“Let’s go. Time for the arm wrestling.”
Lin Mo stood up, and many others followed suit, though some stayed behind to continue grilling.
Xie Yuling, holding several skewers of chicken wings and pork belly, took a seat right where Lin Mo had been.
Since Lin Mo had left, she wanted to grill some food for him.
She was eating black tiger shrimp that had long been peeled. The meat was fibrous and firm, with a great texture and a fresh, delicious flavor.
At that moment, two girls quietly sat down beside Xie Yuling.
“Ahem, Xie Yuling, how far have you and Lin Mo gotten?”
“?”
Xie Yuling turned toward Lu Xiaohua, a bit stunned.
What do you mean how far? What are you talking about?!
I don’t understand.
“Lin Mo’s so handsome, and he’s so gentle with you. There’s no way you’re not a couple.”
Hearing that, Xie Yuling’s face instantly flushed red.
But she still shook her head.
“We’re not a couple.”
Though she denied it, they were all girls; it wasn’t hard to tell the truth.
Still, they didn’t press further.
One of the girls suddenly asked, “Is Lin Mo good at school?”
That was a reasonable question.
After all, they were all students, and in the ivory tower, academic performance naturally drew more attention.
Lu Xiaohua glanced toward the crowd arm-wrestling in the distance.
“He’s probably more of an athlete. Not very tall, but pretty strong.”
Xie Yuling usually didn’t talk much with others, but when the topic turned to Lin Mo, she unknowingly joined the conversation.
“No, his grades are excellent. Even better than mine.”
Hearing this, the two girls couldn’t help but widen their eyes in surprise.
Xie Yuling was famous not just for her looks, but also for her excellent grades.
Good looks combined with any other advantage is a winning combo, but looks alone just won’t cut it.
Xie Yuling’s academic performance was outstanding; she was always a top student at her previous school.
But someone who outperformed Xie Yuling in studies? That’s practically a myth.
Seeing the two girls a bit taken aback, Xie Yuling nodded.
“He even tutors me in advanced math.”
Upon hearing this, the first thing the two girls thought of wasn’t advanced math.
Lu Xiaohua couldn’t help but squint, “So it’s a tutoring play, huh?”
Lin Mo glanced over, catching Lu Xiaohua’s expression—one that looked like Anya’s—and Xie Yuling’s completely baffled face.